Container or receptacle.



D. F. ANDERSON.

CONTAINER 0R REOBPTAOLE. APPLIOATIOK FILED 001212, 1910.

1 ,OOO,880, Patented Aug.'15, 1911.

flYZQQIMZZ emf WWW/w M/WW 1* 6mm COLUMBIA PLANOOFAPN CO; WASHINGTON D C DOCTOR FRANKLIN ANDERSON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CONTAINER OR RECEPTACLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1911.

Application filed October 12, 1910. Serial No. 586,788.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Dooron FRANKLIN ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States,

residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Containers or Receptacles; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to multiple boxes and the object of the invention is to provide a plurality of compartments or boxes mounted upon a common base or connecting member and adapted to be folded together so as to occupy a small space for storage or transportation or to be opened in such a manner that the contents of any one box or compartment may be examined without disturbing the contents of any other box or compartment.

This stated object, and such other objects as will hereinafter incidentally appear, are obtained in the device illustrated in the ac companying drawings, and the invention consists in certain novel features of the same which will be hereinafter first fully described and then more specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a PQI'SPQC? tive view of the device in the open position; Fig. 2 is similar view showing the device closed; Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing a modification in the open and closed positions, respectively; and, Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views of a further modification.

In carrying out my present invention, I employ a base or connecting member 1 to the side edges of which I secure boxes or compartments 2 by means of hinges 3 as shown. The base 1 may be of any desired material but will preferably be constructed of cardboard or some similar medium which possesses strength and durability without excessive weight. The width of the base or connecting member, in the preferred form of the invention, is equal to three times the' height of the boxes or compartments 2, and at a point thereof one-third the distance from one side edge of the same I provide the partition or supporting rib 4 to the upper edge of which I hinge a box or compartment 5 of the same dimensions as the compartment 2. The connection between the upper edge of the supporting rib or partition 4 and the box or compartment 5 is so located that the distance from the longitudinal corner of the box to the edge of the partition will be equal to the height of the boxes. This arrangement will permit the said intermediate box or compartment 5 to swing upon the upper edge of the rib or partition 4 and assume a vertical position with one side resting upon the base or connecting member 1 so that the outer or side boxes may be swung upward into vertical positions with the sides of the several compartments in contact, as will be readily understood, so that a compact case will be provided. Each of the compartments is provided with a cover 6 hinged at one edge to one side of the box so that it may swing outwardly so as to permit inspection of the contents of the box or compartment. When the several compartments are moved to the open position, the outer compartments will lie in the plane of the base or connecting member so that they will lie flat upon a table or other support and the intermediate member will be supported by the partition 4 and one of the outer boxes which it will easily overlap, as clearly shown. When the outer box thus overlapped by the intermediate box is to be examined, the intermediate box is returned to its vertical position and the lid of the outer box may then be swung upward as will be readily understood.

While the preferred form of the invention provides for three boxes or compartments, the improvements may be readily adapted to a greater number of boxes. In Fig. 3, I have illustrated four boxes or compart ments which are connected to an intermediate base or connecting member 7 in substantially the same manner as the boxes shown in the preferred form. In this arrangement, two supporting ribs or partitions 8 are provided and the distance between said ribs or partitions is twice the distance between either partition and the adjacent edge or connecting member. The outer boxes 9 are hinged to the side edges of the base 7 and the inner boxes 10 are hinged to the upper edges of the supporting ribs 8 in the same manner that the intermediate box in the preferred form of the invention is hinged to its supporting lid. In this modified form, however. the inner sides or backs of the intermediate boxes are curved I Copies of this patent may be obtained for so that they will not interfere with the movements of each other in being swung to the open or closed positions. In this form of my invention, I may use a. longitudinal filler rib 7* on the base 7 as shown. This rib fills the space between the curved edges of the boxes when the latter are closed and it also serves to reinforce the base.

In Fig. 5, I have shown a. further amplification of the invention in which a greater number of boxes may be provided. In this form, the support for the inner or intermediate boxes is in the form of a stepped compartment 11 having a hinged cover 12 to permit articles to be placed and held in the said supporting memher and the intermediate boxes 13 are hinged to the outer upper corners of the several steps 14 as shown. The several intermediate boxes, in this form of the device, decrease successively in size so that they may rest vertically upon the treads of the several steps in the intermediate support 11 and bring their upper ends in the same horizontal plane when folded together so as to present a device which may be easily carried.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a device of a very simple and inexpensive construction by the use of which a large number of articles may be carried in a compact form and inspection of the articles may be had at any time without disturbing the orderly arrangement of the same or necessitating the handling of the entire contents of the container;

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A container comprising a base, boxes hinged to the edges of the base, a support rising from the base, a box hinged to said support, the hinge on said box being so located relative to the first-mentioned boxes that all the boxes'may be folded close to- I gether at a right angle to the base or may be swung into planes parallel with the base, the intermediate boxes then resting on the covers hinged to the outer edges of the boxes at the inner sldes of the same.

2. A container comprising a base, boxes hinged to the side edges of the base, a support rising from the base at one side of the center thereof, and a box hinged to the upper edge of said support and adapted to rest on the base against the said support or to rest on the said support and one of the outer boxes.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DOCTOR FRANKLIN ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

O. B. HOPKINS, L. O. HILTON.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

support and one of the outer boxes, and 

